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The 7 Habits of Serenity

Thu, 10/24/2013 - 20:40 | joycelyn

Do you genuinely feel a sense of serenity on a regular basis? Or does it seem like feelings of anxiety in nearly all aspects of life have become the status quo? Most people aren’t able to enjoy feelings of calmness and peace on a regular basis.

Everyone feels this way from time to time. But with effective habits, feelings of constant anxiety in your life can become a thing of the past.

Controlling yourself is the best solution. You might have some control over your environment, but you can’t control others. Your own response is the only thing completely under your control.

If you’d like to experience a more peaceful life, try adopting these 7 habits of serenity:

Create a calming morning ritual. Getting up early is important. Most people make the mistake of staying in bed as long as possible. This results in rushing around and relying on luck to get out of the house on time. If one event takes you off course, you’ll be late.

Get up early enough that you’re not rushed in the morning. Exercise a little bit. Meditate. Read the paper with your coffee. Take a walk around the block.

Mornings tend to be quiet and peaceful, and if you get up early, you can enjoy them.

Notice how you respond to stress. When you’re faced with a stressful situation, take note of your behavior.

Do you feel overwhelmed by stress?

Do you overeat?

Do you work to eliminate the stress?

Do you find some way to distract yourself to avoid the situation?

Create healthier responses to stress. Replace any unhealthy responses with something more peaceful. Maybe a cup of green tea or a few minutes of yoga would work for you. Calling a friend might be an option.

It’s not personal. Many of us are quick to take things personally. For example, if your employee doesn’t follow your instructions, do you assume they’re being defiant? If your partner isn’t affectionate for a day, do you assume they don’t care about you?

The truth is that most of the time it’s not about you. Everyone has their own issues to deal with. The odds are excellent that you’re not the cause of someone else’s mood or behavior.

Feel gratitude. Everyone has things in their life that are worthy of gratitude. What are you grateful for?

When things seem the most challenging, it’s a perfect time to list off the things for which you are the most grateful.

If you think about these things, you’ll feel better. This is one of the best habits anyone can create.

Only do one thing at a time. Attempting to multi-task is stressful. It’s also not productive to rapidly switch back and forth between multiple tasks.

For example, when you’re driving your car, just drive your car. Don’t try to drive, text, and eat breakfast at the same time.

Minimize the noise in your life. Audible sounds, visual clutter, and the other extra items in your life that you really have no need for all clutter up your mind as well as your environment.

Having too much stuff in your life will make you miserable. Keep the most important items and get rid of the rest.

Developing these habits will make your life more calm and serene. There’s a tremendous benefit to reducing the stress in your life. You’ll be healthier and enjoy your life more.

Try a few of these habits on for size and then add more as the initial ones become ingrained. Your current stress challenges are largely a habit. Take control and create habits that serve you well.